This graphic novel was really enjoyable! The art is so beautiful and the story is queer and witchy and fun, and I'm already so sad its over. I can't wait until this comes out

Thank you to Penguin Teen for providing me with an e-ARC of Coven!

Here's a case of I have absolutely no feelings at all for this book. It's a perfectly fine graphic novel, however, I doubt it's something that's going to stick with me. The art is absolutely gorgeous & the story is totally fine. At times I enjoyed relationship dynamics (i.e. Emsy with Ben & Emsy with Ash), however, as separate characters, none of them really worked for me. In fact, Emsy drove me nuts throughout the story.

There's really nothing wrong with Coven, but unfortunately, it's not a stand-out story for me.

What a great graphic novel to read during #pridemonth! I loved the adorable relationships and crushes and watching Emsy’s journey to accepting who she really is and where her home is. I also kinda really liked how dark it is, when it comes to all of the awesome witchy-ness. Coven is available 9/6! Thanks so much to Penguin Teen for my copy!

review ♥
coven- jennifer dugan and kit season
★ ★ ★ ★

•graphic novel
•witches
•queer characters
•found family

Emsy grew up in California, where she has a girlfriend and loves to surf. One day, when members of her family’s coven have been murdered, Emsy has to leave California for New York. While in her new home, she meets Ben, who has just suffered the loss of his parents and sister. They decide to work together to bring his parents back from death and discover the witch that murdered them.

Coven was such a cute and easy read. I loved the artwork, especially Emsy’s different hairstyles throughout the book. I also really enjoyed the characters and their journeys as young adults. I do, however, wish the book was resolved a little more. I disliked how Emsy dropped her girlfriend so quickly for her new friends. I also wish there was a definite conclusion regarding the death witch that killed Ben’s family. Maybe this means there will be a second novel? Also, the cat was so adorable!! I loved the cute addition to this fun, witchy novel.

thank you to @penguinteen for sending me an eARC of coven!

Emsy is, understandably, upset when she's forced to relocate from her sunny, carefree life in California to move to chilly, damp New York. Not to mention that the whole reason they're moving is so her parents can help a coven she's never known after a string of grisly murders leaves them weakened and afraid. Despite her reservations, Emsy quickly learns that she must rely on her fellow witches and their combined strength if she wants to survive the mysterious, deadly attacker still lurking in the shadows.

Graphic novels can be a hit-or-miss for me depending on the art style and if it fits with the genre/story, and Coven is an example where they work perfectly together! I loved the expressiveness and bold colors that shone throughout typically darker color palettes. As someone who had to moved several times as a child, Emsy's frustrations were very relatable, and I liked the realistic portrayal of her struggling with the loss of her old life while also being interested in and starting to embrace her new one. The supporting cast of characters were also portrayed as full of life and complex without detracting from the main characters and narrative.

The plot was interesting and kept me reading, but my one gripe was that the ending felt rushed. I got to the end of the book and couldn't believe it was over! I was left feeling somewhat unsatistsfied and not because finishing a good story is always a bit sad but because the main conflict, resolution, and ending all happened in the last 80% of the book! The buildup was extensive but engaging and to have everything wrap up so nicely and so suddenly made me feel a little jipped, with both character and plot arcs feeling snipped short. I think extending the book's length would be well worth fleshing out the story/plot to give the narrative it's full due.

Living most of her life in California and enjoying the surf, Emsy doesn't have time for the archaic rituals of her parents. She'd rather spending her days surfing with her friends or hanging out with her girlfriend than practice her fire elemental powers. When her coven sudden ends up under attack and several family members are murdered, Emsy's parents drag her kicking and screaming to upstate New York.
Emsy finds herself into the middle of a family catastrophe as she has to fight to keep her powers in check and solve the family murders before the killer strikes again.
Beautiful artwork and rich colors. I just wish the storyline was a little strong. A quick and entertaining spooky read.

3.5: i really enjoyed the art but somehow the story felt both rushed and super slow i don’t get it. i don’t have much more to say other than that

This was a cute and badass graphic novel! Great for Buffy and Charmed fans. I love the inclusivity and the plot of the story along with all the magical elements! The characters were great, I was more Into the side characters than the MC. Looking forward to reading more by this author.

Enjoyable story of a teenager being hauled away from everything she holds dear and thrust into her family's previously shunned past. The art is striking and the characters can be really interesting, but the narrative does read as sort of stilted at times with characters swinging wildly from one pole of emotion to another. Our teenage lead is as self-centered as one would expect, but her parents' utter lack of trying to reach out to her or explain what's happening is beyond frustrating. The lack of formal mentor-ship in general seems to contradict what we are told is a supportive community of witches to a sometimes distracting degree.

That said, this book is an enjoyable read. Character designs are gorgeous, the artist does a good job pulling off background gags to lighten the mood, and there are some genuinely spooky passages. The questionable morality of so many characters helps even out some of the more rickety aspects of the story as well.

Overall a fun read, probably even more so for teenagers who are struggling with their own angst.

Coven follows Emsy as she and her family leave sunny California to head back to New York to be with their coven after some members were brutally murdered. Of course Emsy is not happy about leaving her friends and her girlfriend behind. Once back in New York she slowly starts learning family secrets and how to control her powerful elemental magic. She will have to hurry though because the murderer is still on the loose and she and her friends must stop them before they kill again.

I loved the overall theme of found family and finding yourself. The art is fantastic and really helped make this a fantastic read. Emsy can be a bit whiny at times, but I can understand because nobody will give her the answers she needs.

I feel like this is probably going to be a series as I still have questions after this book. It does wrap up nicely, but I just feel like some things need more explanation or back story. Overall a great YA graphic novel and I would read the next installment if they make one.

Graphic novels always get me out of a reading funk and this one did just that! I was able to get through it in one day because it kept pulling me back in with each page. I wanted to keep going and see what was going to happen next. I loved the illustrations and the writing was phenomenal. It really captured my attention. I also loved that the author included LGBTQ+ characters and there was absolutely 0 stigma towards them or the subject. The characters were accepting and NORMAL, as it should always be. The author also touched on families, friendships & ultimately how you don’t always know who someone is. Loved this and would definitely recommend it to those that love graphic novels.

Emsy is uprooted from her life in CA to move to her family's home in NY after a tragedy. There, she must master her magic to find the killer before they move on to someone closer to her.

There is so much missing from this graphic novel. The essential story is interesting, but I'm left with questions. It seems like it should have been a part one in a series. Most of the characters were well developed, like Ben and his struggle with grief, but I had major problems with Emsy. In the opening scene, she brushed aside a date with her girlfriend to go surfing with another person (a person who makes continued appearances but doesn't really add anything). This opener set up expectations of selfishness on Emsy's part. Graphic novels can be a difficult medium to use to tell a satisfying story with, but it can be done. I just feel that this one needed to be expanded a bit, though the art is fantastic and perfect for the type of story it told.

Thanks @putnambooks for this book! Comes out in September.

This was a cute little YA LGBTQ read that is gonna be so perfect for spooky season this fall.

It follows teenage Emsy as she is forced back to her hometown coven instead of living her best Cali life, as some mysterious murders have happened and her family is not safe any more.

At times, I felt like Emsy was a little bit too annoying but then again, teenagers can definitely be that way IRL too so not too bad.

Since I read an ARC, the pictures were in black and white but they were still gorgeous and I can’t wait to see them in color!

If you like the These Witches Don’t Burn series, I think you’ll like this too!

Graphic novels aren’t my favorite format, but many of my students love them. This one is compelling from the start, as Emily deals with both the difficulties of being a witch and the real teen loss of having to move suddenly and leave her beloved girlfriend, social network, and school. She is highly motivated to find answers not just because it’s what she has to do, but so she can get her normal life back. I think this will especially appeal to neurodiverse students.

3.5

I enjoyed this graphic novel a bit. It was a quick read and the art was really nice! I think this one fell short for me because the story and characters were lacking, especially for something that seems to be a one-off graphic novel. The format and style of the art was the selling point for me, but I wish there was more to the story and the characters. I also feel like the complications were resolved really quickly, I think this definitely could have been flesh out more. But other than that, it's a cute short read about the importance of family and getting use to change.

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Teen for giving me this eARC in exchange for a review!

Really fun, witchy graphic novel! I really enjoyed the art style, the characters were fun. I wish we could know more about the world/coven and magic but we are seeing things by following the main character who doesn't know much about her history or have much control over her magic at the start so I can allow the lack of info. I would love to see another novel with another big bad to fight and more of these lovely characters and fun coven madness.

I wasn't the biggest fan of the storyline in this graphic novel, but the art was absolutely stunning. The colors were beautiful, the characters were al distinct, with personal styles, and all very pretty. This art is by far one of my favorites ever done for a graphic novel, second to Squad, and was a real treat on the eyes. I didn't find the story to be especially compelling, as the stakes felt a bit low, and I would've liked more concentration on characterizations than plot, which I think would up the stakes. I also wish things with the main character's California friends were more resolved in the end. Overall, I would probably recommend this book to those who love to look at art, but I would say the story is pretty average.

4.25 Stars

Thank you so much to Penguin Teen for an arc of this book.

Emsy's world is shaken when she has to move back to New York from California to be with her family's coven. She doesn't want to leave her home, friends, or girlfriend, but her parents are insistent that it isn't safe for them anymore. But Emsy gets into even more dangerous territory in New York when she teams up with Ben to figure out who killed his parents and to master her neglected elemental magic.

This was really fun! Firstly, the arc is not in color which I understand but am sad about. I'm imagining the full color version will be extremely vivid and beautiful, so I can't wait to read that.

Emsy is an interesting character and I liked her, but I honestly liked some of the side characters better. I like her emotional journey, but wish the romance aspect had been dealt with a little differently. The magic is really interesting and I especially like the spirit witches! Excited to read the final copy.

Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Violence, Death, Death of parent, and Grief

thank you for penguinteen for the digital ARC! this book has very beautiful art but the storyline was just okay. i feel like the plot twist was just predictable and nothing new :(

It was a fun book about queer witches, family, and friendship. It had a lot of potential but was lacking a little in plot and character development.